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A Lent devotional on John 11:21-27
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
I’m here in a recording studio in Istanbul. From this location, our ministry partner, Kanal Hayat, films evangelistic content to broadcast across Turkey and into West Asia on their website, YouTube and social media channels. They produce compelling Gospel content to areas where there is little to no Christian input, including seminars, documentaries, music programmes and testimonies. Kanal Hayat translates as ‘Life Channel’, and their aim is to open people’s hearts to the life that only Jesus brings.
It is this word ‘life’ that we are going to be reflecting on together today. In John chapter 11, we find the start of the famous story of Lazarus. The passage begins with Martha saying what I’m sure most of us would have said in her situation - “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha had such great faith in what Jesus could do, but Jesus had bigger, better plans than she, or anyone, could have imagined. A plan to reveal and prove the life-changing truth about himself.
Like Martha, it is so easy for us to be consumed by the here and now. The life we’ve built around us feels like all that matters - the people we love, the jobs we do, the places we go, the joys, the heartaches. Of course, we should care about our lives now and the people in it, but we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. What Jesus says to Martha in verses 25 and 26 brings her out of the present day and gives her a glimpse of eternity. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”
Jesus reveals to Martha the piece of the puzzle that she had been missing. He’s not just a miracle-maker, reacting to and fixing the problems of the present, He’s the Messiah, the one who can give life forever to all who believe. And how does he prove it? By resurrecting Lazarus that very same day. And then by dying and coming back to life again himself, not long after. Jesus is the life-giver. The only one who can give us life after death, forever, with our glorious God.
We hope you’ve been encouraged by our Lent Prayer Journey. Here at WorldShare, we love to support our ministry partners around the world, like Kanal Hayat, in their life-changing work. Click here if you are not yet signed up to receive emails from us and would like to get up to date prayer points, stories and news straight to your inbox. You will also receive a free book by post! Or why not send these devotionals to someone who might benefit from them? Together, let’s share the Good News about who Jesus says He is.
We pray you have a very Happy Easter!
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